The Hit
by Traw
Summary: He knew that he had told Danny when he was coming back and had expected Danny to be his usual greeting party when he arrived home. But for Danny not to meet him was unusual and disturbing. McGarrett glanced at the headlines of the paper in the newsstand next to him. The words screamed out at him, causing his heart to skip a beat, 'FIVE-O DETECTIVE CRITICAL AFTER PALACE SHOOTING'.
1. Chapter 1

The familiar sight of the Aloha Tower greeted the tall, dark-haired man as the plane taxied to a stop. Grabbing his bag from the overhead storage unit, he made his way out of the plane and into the terminal, searching the many faces for the one he sought. "That's odd," he muttered to himself, "I wonder why Danno isn't here?" He knew that he had told Danny when he was coming back and had expected Danny to be his usual greeting party when he arrived home. But for Danny not to meet him or not to send one of the other guys was unusual and disturbing. Looking around again and seeing none of his detectives, he walked out to the curb and hailed a cab.

Waiting for the bright yellow taxi to make its way through the heavy traffic to his location, McGarrett glanced at the headlines of the paper in the newsstand next to him. The words screamed out at him, causing his heart to skip a beat, 'FIVE-O DETECTIVE CRITICAL AFTER PALACE SHOOTING'. Pulling some change out of his pocket, it took two attempts of his shaking hand before the coins dropped into the slot and he was able to yank the door open and snatch the last paper before running to the cab. "Iolani Palace," he shouted shoving his badge in the stunned driver's face, "And step on it!"

McGarrett scanned the article, his heart in his mouth as he read the few scant details the article offered. 'Doctors are tonight battling to save the life of Hawaii Five O's Second –In-Command Detective Danny Williams after a gunman entered the offices of the elite State Police Unit and opened fire this afternoon. The unidentified assailant who was wearing a mask and armed with an uzi burst into the office just after 5:00 p.m. apparently catching Detective Williams, who was alone in the office at the time, completely off-guard. The sound of the gunfire alerted people working nearby but the gunman was gone when they arrived and witnesses' statements at this time are sketchy. An unofficial source has told reporters that the wounded detective is undergoing emergency surgery at Queens Hospital and his condition is listed as extremely critical. So far detectives of Hawaii Five O have made no official statement about the shooting although the Governor has promised to hold a press conference as soon as more information becomes available."

"Forget the Palace, take me to Queens Hospital!" McGarrett ordered as their eyes met in the rear view mirror. "Sure thing, Bruddah," the driver answered, shoving the pedal to the floor, recognizing his passenger.

As the cab skidded up to the front of Queens Hospital, McGarrett tossed some bills onto the seat as he open the door and ran towards the glass entrance doors.

Exploding through the doors of Queen's Hospital Emergency Department, Steve charged towards the admissions desk intent on finding his injured detective. "McGarrett, Hawaii Five-O," he barked anxiously at the gray haired nurse, who sat behind the desk, showing his badge. "I understand that one of my detectives, Danny Williams was admitted here this afternoon."

Shuffling deliberately through the papers, it was all the frantic detective could do not to grab the forms out of her hands and search through them himself, "Mr. Williams was admitted earlier and taken to surgery."

"What was his condition?" McGarrett demanded anxiously.

"I'm sorry Sir, but I can't give you that information. You will need to talk to the attending physician." The nurse answered quietly bracing herself for the explosion.

"And where can I find the attending physician?" he asked, gritting his teeth at the delay.

"Steve!"

McGarrett turned as he heard Chin call his name. The Chinese detective hurried across to where his boss stood and took his bag that he had forgotten he was even holding as he demanded, "Chin, how is he? What the hell happened?"

The older detective shook his head as he led his Boss to a more private place to talk. "He's critical Steve, he took three bullets, two in the stomach and one in the arm. The docs are doing all they can but it's touch and go. As to what happened, we just don't know. Danny was in the office alone. They must have taken him by surprise cause he didn't even have time to pull his gun before he was shot. A witness who heard the shooting saw a man run from the office wearing a ski mask and gloves."

"So there was just one? No one saw anyone else? Maybe someone waiting in a car?"

Chin shook his head, "Not that I know of Boss, " he answered, "Ben and Duke are looking for more witnesses now."

McGarrett frowned, "Any idea of motive?"

The older detective looked down and shuffled his feet before he looked back up at the man watching him and nodded, "Yeah Boss – You." At McGarrett's stunned expression, he quickly explained, "The witness heard the shooter yell as he ran out of the office that he gave you what you deserved." Chin's voice dropped as he added, "Danny was shot in your office."

"Oh God!"

"Boss, the guy was lookin' for you, but obviously didn't know what you looked like since he thought Danny was you," Chin looked seriously at his Boss, "The guy had an uzi and didn't know what you looked like, Seems to me this may have been a hired hit that went bad."

"And Danno took the bullets meant for me!" Steve murmured guiltily as Chin nodded solemnly.

H50H50H50

The rod slid back and forth through the barrel of the gun, cleaning it and removing the residue from the recently fired bullets. Taking a soft cloth, he put a few drops of Hoppe's oil on it and ran it through the barrel as his thoughts traveled back to another time. He was once again sitting at the kitchen table next to his grandfather as his grandmother cooked dinner. "He would still be alive now. The North Koreans were holding him prisoner and offered an exchange but were refused." He watched his grandfather carefully. The aging man looked into a distance the younger man couldn't see, his voice soft but filled with sorrow, regret and a burning anger. "I was told later that there was an officer in Naval Intelligence who refused to deal, and it was his fault. McGarrett. They said his name was McGarrett. My son meant nothing to him. All he had to do was free one lousy North Korean prisoner and my son would be sitting here now." He looked at the boy who watched him intently, hanging on every word of the story he had heard so many times. "McGarrett is the reason your father never came home. After the prisoner exchange was refused he was taken out and shot, but this McGarrett may as well have pulled the trigger himself."

Looking down the barrel of the gun, he placed his thumb at the far end, allowing the light to shine down the barrel of the gun and reflect off his thumbnail, a quick and easy way to see if the gun was clean. No residue. Nothing left. Just like McGarrett when he had taken him completely by surprise only hours ago. He wished his grandfather could have seen the look of total shock on McGarrett's face as he pointed the Uzi at him and pulled the trigger. Now the world was just like his gun; clean and free of the dirty residue that was Steve McGarrett.

It was sheer luck that he had even found this man, this arrogant dictator who had proven once again that life meant nothing to him. On a whim he had decided to visit Hawaii, and no sooner had he gotten off the plane than he picked up a paper, and there it was, headline news: ONE DEAD AS BANK ROBBERS CAPTURED. The story told about Steve McGarrett, the head of the state's elite investigative unit, Hawaii Five-O. The bank robbers had hostages but McGarrett, true to form, had steadfastly refused to deal, resulting in the death of one of the hostages before the robbers had been captured. Yeah, McGarrett was still callously playing God with other people's lives, but luckily he had put an end to that, by putting an end to Steve McGarrett. He'd have to get a newspaper. He had no doubt that McGarrett had made the headlines one last time, and he was going to take a copy home to show his grandfather, or at least take it to the grave. Maybe now that his father had been avenged, his grandfather could rest in peace.

H50H50H50

McGarrett paused in his pacing and glanced impatiently up at the clock again – 10.34pm, Danno had been in surgery for over five hours and nobody seemed able to update him on the condition of his youngest detective. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired face before he turned and began to pace again as he demanded, "Okay gentlemen, lets go over what we have!"

"Not much Steve," Chin began, unfazed by his boss's brash command, "Danny was working in your office when the gunman entered at approximately 5pm. We believe that he must have taken Danny by surprise Danny's gun was still in his holster. There was 10 shots fired, three striking Danny, two in the stomach and one in the arm, as he tried to stand, the others were embedded in the wall behind your desk. Che believes the gunman was standing at the door when the shots were fired. No one saw the gunman enter but a witness who heard the shots also said he heard the gunman yell that he had shot you but by the time he saw a man run from the office wearing a ski mask and gloves"

"Danny was able to also give us a partial description, Steve." Ben answered softly as he stared down at his hands, still seeing the blood that had covered them as he tried to stem the bleeding. "I had been downstairs in the lab and had run back to the office after hearing the shots fired. Danny was still conscious. All he was able to tell me was the guy was tall and thin and was wearing a mask." Ben swallowed hard and looked back up at his boss. "And that the guy thought he was you. He wanted me to warn you."

"Where was Jenny?" Steve asked, aware that the secretary often stayed after the other office staff left for the day.

"Danny told her that she could have the afternoon off for a dentist appointment." Chin told the boss quietly. "Ben had gone down to the lab and I had just left the office to get the Doc's Coroner's report on the Mason murder. Danny was the only one left in the office working on reports. He wanted to get them out of the way before he left to pick you up at the airport." Chin paused and shook his head before he spoke again, "The gunman couldn't have picked a better time Bruddah. He musta have been watching."

"Yeah," McGarrett agreed with Chin's theory, " Waiting until he thought 'I' was alone and not expecting any trouble and then wham!"

"He used the element of surprise." Chin continued with the theory, "Making the hit right in your office where you would least expect it."

"Trying to make it look like a professional hit!" Steve continued

"But he made one mistake," Ben interrupted angrily, "he didn't know what you looked liked and took out Danny instead!"

McGarrett glanced at his new Polynesian detective, he knew that Ben had known Danno before joining the team but this was the first time he realized just how close the friendship was. "Easy Ben, easy!" he soothed attempting to cool the detective's rage, "I promise that he won't get away with it. We will find him!"

"You better believe we'll find him!" Ben agreed, barely able to contain his anger at the atrocity that had occurred in their own office.

Chin glanced worriedly at McGarrett, concerned at the reactions of the younger detective but before McGarrett could speak or calm the younger man down any more, the waiting room door slowly opened as Doc stepped inside. The physician looked drained and exhausted as he tugged the surgical hat from his head but he smiled tiredly at the three men anxiously watching his every move.

"Doc?" McGarrett asked nervously as he stepped towards the Coroner / official and trusted physician to the Five O team, "How is he?"

"He's weak and going to be sore for a while but barring any unforeseen complications he's going to make it!" Doc grinned as he heard the collective sighs of relief from the three other men in the room.

The lead detective rubbed his hand through his dark hair as his eyes met the smiles of the other detectives. "That's great news, Doc!"

"But that doesn't mean that Danny is going to be up and out of bed and out of here in a day or two! He is still an extremely ill young man." Bergman warned sternly. "The bullets have done a lot of damage that's going to take him some time to recover from."

McGarrett's smile faded as trepidation crept up his spine, "What kind of damage?"

Doc nodded towards the seats and waited until the three detectives had settled before he eased himself down on a seat opposite them as he began to explain, "As you already know, Danny was hit three times. One bullet hit him in the upper arm and passed through, luckily it missed the bone and arteries. It should heal quickly without too many problems. The second bullet struck Danny in the left side of the abdomen and lodged in the liver, causing some heavy bleeding. Although it caused some damage and did nick the portal vein we were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage." Doc paused and looked down at his hands, almost as if preparing himself to break some disturbing news.

"And the third bullet?" Steve asked anxiously, prodding the older man to continue.

Doc looked up and sighed, "The third bullet caused the most damage Steve," Doc began quietly, "It hit his spleen and cause massive hemorrhaging. We had no choice, we had to remove it."

"Oh God!" Steve murmured. "So how bad is it? I mean what happens if he doesn't have a spleen?"

"Steve, if anyone had to lose a major organ, the spleen is the best one to lose," Doc answered quietly, "He can survive quite well without it. The spleen helps to filter dead and dying blood cells from the blood and it helps the immune system. He's going to have to be extra vigilante with colds and infections in the future but the loss of the spleen shouldn't affect his career or his life dramatically. "

"Thank God, " Ben breathed out quietly as Doc continued.

"I have him listed on the critical list at the moment and intend to keep him closely monitored in ICU for at least twenty-four hours, just until we finish transfusing him and he stabilizes a little more but I see no reason why tomorrow night he shouldn't be well enough to be upgraded to serious but stable and be moved to a private room."

McGarrett nodded, "Can I see him?"

"Can I stop you?" Doc grinned as he rose from his chair and glanced down at his watch, "They should have him settled by now but don't expect him to be awake until at least tomorrow. That boy has had a hard night Steve, he's lost a lot of blood and his body needs to rest so it can start to recover."

"I know, Doc," Steve said quietly, "Just for a few minutes."

H50H50H50

"No! NO! NO!" The angry shout escaped his lips as he screwed up the newspaper and threw it at the wall. "No! They're lying!" He screamed at the empty room, kicking the small coffee table over in rage. "It was McGarrett I hit not his Second-In-Command! It was McGarrett! I know it was cause he was in his office!"

The words in the paper once again played across his mind, 'Doctors are tonight battling to save the life of Hawaii Five- O's Second –In-Command Detective Danny Williams after a gunman entered the offices of the elite State Police Unit. "It can't be! His name was on the door, I saw it!" He suddenly laughed bitterly, "Probably another one of McGarrett's tricks. They wouldn't announce that the Oh - so - famous detective had been killed so easily in his own office!" He whispered to himself as he ran a hand through his greasy, unkempt hair, "After all he is supposedly the best thing since sliced bread. Well, now they will know just what he really was! Their gunna find out just how evil he was!"

Satisfied he was onto their lying tricks, he settled back down onto the sofa, leaning forward to press the one switch of his small T.V., relaxing as the black and white picture flickered onto the screen as he grabbed the wadded up newspaper and shook it out so he could once again read the headline: FIVE-O DETECTIVE CRITICAL AFTER PALACE SHOOTING. "It was you McGarrett! I KNOW it was you!" Then he looked at the headline again as though suddenly realizing what it said. "Critical! You're supposed to be dead!"

The quiet voice on the TV screen caught his attention as he heard the announcer mention his nemesis name and he glanced back up at the screen, frowning as the picture of a dark haired man stared back at him, "McGarrett was not on the islands when the attack on his Second-In-command happened in the Hawaii Five O offices late this afternoon." A second photo flashed up on the screen and he recognized the man who he had shot immediately as the announcer continued to talk, "Detective Williams remains in a critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery this evening. We will bring you more on this dramatic shooting as details become available."

"DAMN IT!" He screamed at the TV. How could this be? The name on the heavy wooden door was McGarrett. Why was this Williams guy in there? It was a simple mistake anybody could have made it. "But its not gonna get you off the hook McGarrett. I know who you are now, and you're gonna pay for what you've done. You're going to pay!"

H50H50h50

Ben Kokoa's breath caught in his throat, almost choking him as he saw the motionless body of his close friend and colleague in the ICU bed. Danny was almost as pale as the white sheets; only the steady rise and fall of his chest and the steady beep of the heart monitor beside the bed reassured the shocked detective that Danny was still in the world of the living. Even from the doorway, he could see the stark white dressings that covered most of the young man's abdomen peeking out above the folded sheet, two drips snaked down from the stand that hung above the bed and disappeared beneath the small dressing on the back of his left hand, various tubes and wires that were connected to him or emerged from under the sheet confirmed to the Samoan detective just how sick his young friend was. He hesitated, unable to bring himself any closer as McGarrett brushed past and hurried to the side of the bed.

He watched in astonishment as his normally aloof boss placed a hand lightly on the injured man's shoulder and began to whisper to him.

"You're going to be fine, Aikane, Doc says you're good for a full recovery," McGarrett told his unconscious detective softly.

Glancing toward the door, a small nod from his boss made it clear to Ben that it was okay to approach the bed.

Feeling a bit awkward, Ben stood silently behind his boss, not wanting to interrupt as McGarrett returned his attention back to the still man in the bed, unable to stop staring at the too pale face and the stark white bandages that covered the top part of Danny's right arm and peeked out from beneath the sheet that covered him. He swallowed hard forcing the image of Danny lying on the office floor bleeding from his mind as his fingers lightly touched Danny's shoulder. "I Olelo-pa'a Hana io Loa'a nana Eha 'oe, Danny" He whispered, ignoring the questioning look from his boss as he straightened up and stepped away and looked at his boss. "I think I'll head back to the office Steve, I want to finish going through your files and start to check out the alibis of the scum who have threatened you." He announced quietly before asking, "Have there been any threats lately that we don't know of?"

McGarrett shook his head as he looked up at Ben. "No, also check any threats Danno has received and place a guard on Danno's door. I don't want anyone not authorized getting anywhere near him!"

"Steve, don't you think you should have a guard too? I mean the guy is after you. Danny just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." Ben insisted. He saw his boss bristle at the suggestion but refused to back down as McGarrett spun angrily towards him.

"I can look after myself!" McGarrett growled, the mere thought of having a shadow was suffocating, "Let's use our manpower catching the man responsible for this rather than waste it guarding me!"

"But Boss..." Chin interrupted unfazed by McGarrett's reaction, "Ben's right! This was a hit against you, Danny was hit by mistake."

Standing his ground, Ben hoped he could get his boss to see reason as he added, "Steve, this guy is brazen! It takes a lot of nerve to come into the palace and open fire, so he obviously wants you pretty bad." Hesitating he continued more gently, "You need to have someone with you watching your back." He glanced towards Danny before he added quietly, "And I know Danny would rest better if he knows we have you covered."

That was one point McGarrett knew he couldn't argue with, but he was not going to waste valuable manpower when he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. "Lets get Danno covered first," he answered softly, deciding to dodge the issue for now. "I'm going to stay here for a while so the one guard will be enough protection for both of us.

Chin glanced at Ben and shrugged, knowing their boss's "guard" would go no further than the hospital room door but for now the compromise was better than nothing.

"Okay Steve," Ben reluctantly conceded as he turned and walked briskly from the room, angry that the Boss was willing to risk his life after such a callous and brazen attempt rather than accept protection.

Chin watched the Samoan detective leave the room before he turned back towards McGarrett as McGarrett asked softly, "I Olelo-pa'a Hana io Loa'a nana Eha 'oe?"

The Chinese detective frowned as he thought about the Hawaiian words Ben had spoken to Danny. He shrugged apologetically to his boss as he answered tentatively, "I think he promised to find whoever did this Boss but I'm not sure."

McGarrett nodded as he looked back towards the closed door, "Keep an eye on him Chin and keep me updated."

"Done Boss!" Chin answered as he turned and left the room hurrying to catch up with his partner.

Returning his attention back to the man in the bed, Steve reached through the bed rails and lightly squeezed Danny's hand as he whispered, "If Ben and Chin are right and this was a hit against me, I'm so sorry that you got caught in the middle " McGarrett squeezed the hand tighter as he echoed Ben's Hawaiian promise, "We _WILL _find who ever did this Danno, I promise and until we do you will have a guard protecting you. So I want you to just rest and concentrate on getting better."

H50H50H50

"Pa'akikî!" Ben muttered angrily as the two men stepped into the elevator, "I've never met anyone more pupule or pa'akiki in all my life! Can't he get it through his hard head that he was the intended hit not Danny?" Chin remained silent as Ben stabbed the button to take them to the ground floor as the younger detective continued to vent. "Damn it Chin, he wants Danny fully protected and ignores the protection himself!"

Chin watched as the numbers counted down, "You know how Steve is and he's not gonna change."

"If we can't work with him maybe we should work around him," Ben muttered beneath his breath as the doors slid open and the men walked out.

"Watch what you do, Bruddah," Chin warned as they walked outside into the darkness, "The boss can be pretty hard-headed, especially when it comes to protection for himself, and I wouldn't recommend going around him."

Reaching the parked sedan, Chin opened the door and slid behind the wheel. He waited until Ben climbed into the passengers seat and had closed the door before he looked at his colleague and added with a small smile, "Besides the only person who can get away with that is Danny."

H50H50H50

Click! Click! Click! The sound echoed in the small room as the Uzi was dry-fired at the dark-haired man on the television. "I won't miss you next time McGarrett."

Sitting heavily on the saggy old couch, he re-loaded the weapon, watching intently as the story of the shooting was repeated and the tall, stern Head of Five-O glared with undisguised impatience at the camera.

"Bang!" he sneered, "You're dead."

Placing the loaded weapon carefully on the coffee table, he thought back to the earlier scene...The way it felt to enter the private kingdom of the great Steve McGarrett; the name leering at him from the heavy wooden door...and best of all... the look. The blue eyes opened wide in absolute astonishment as he pointed his gun at the curly haired man behind the big desk...and the sound of the bullets as they hit their mark… he shuddered in excitement as the curly haired image was replaced by the taller dark haired detective -. the man so deserving of reaping this final reward for the crimes he had committed.

H50H50H50

The slight movement of the cool hand under his brought the head of Five-O to instant wakefulness. Pushing the hair out of his eyes he realized that the night was quickly fading as he shifted in the chair he'd occupied for hours and leaned closer to the bed in which his Second-In-Command rested. Hoping that Danno was beginning to wake up, he gently rubbed the backs of his fingers against the pale cheek. "Danno." He said softly, "Can you hear me? Open your eyes." His quiet behest was answered as the patient drew a deeper breath and whimpered as his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Easy, Danno, easy," McGarrett murmured as he rose and leaned over into Danny's line of sight, smiling as the blue pacific irises of the patient became visible under the heavy lids. "Everything's okay. You're gonna be fine."

"Steve...?" Danny whispered in confusion as he tried to focus on the face that floated just above him.

"Yeah Danno, it's me." Steve softly reassured him as he placed a hand gently atop the sandy curls he knew so well. "You're safe, you are in Queens Hospital. You took two bullets in your gut and one in your arm." Seeing the horrified look on his partner's face, Steve quickly rushed to reassure him, "But Doc says you're going to be fine."

Danny nodded slightly as he tried to pull together his foggy memory.

"Danno, do you remember what happened?"

A frown crossed the young man's face as he closed his eyes as some of the pieces solidified. "I…I was shot?" McGarrett nodded at the question but remained silent as his young detective struggled to recall more details. He watched as the frown deepened with Danno's limited concentration and waited as Danny began to speak haltingly as he tried to remember what had happened." I...I was at your desk...working…when someone...in a ...in a mask...came in." He swallowed hard as the pain in his stomach and arm made itself known and he slipped his hand down, feeling the thick dressings that covered his abdomen. McGarrett jumped when Danny's eyes opened wide in horror as the young man suddenly tried to rise as he gasped. "He…he thought I…was you! He...he had a Uzi…Oh God, Steve…he shot me!"

McGarrett moved quickly, "Easy Danno, easy," he soothed as he pressed his hands against the upset young man's shoulders and eased Danny back down onto the pillows, "You're safe Aikane, you're safe."

"No! No!" Danny gasped as he weakly grabbed his boss's arm, trying to ensure he had McGarrett's full attention as he whispered, "He…he thought I was…you Steve! He said something about… you...deserving it..."

Growing alarmed at Danny's growing agitation, McGarrett grabbed the nurse call button, pressing it as he tried to calm Danny down. "It's okay Danno. You're safe here. I have a HPD guard at the door and I promise i will stay with you tonight. No one can enter without my permission." He whispered as Danny moaned in pain as his struggling pulled at his stitches.

"No, Steve." Danny whispered fearfully, attempting to make McGarrett understand, "Not Me… You…he wants…you!" collapsing back against the pillows in exhaustion, the young detective stared up at his closest friend as he weakly grabbed McGarrett's hand and pleaded softly, "You're the one… who needs…protection Steve…not me!"

"I'm fine Danno," Steve tried to reassure Danny, "I can take care of myself!"

Danny shook his head as he struggled to stay awake, ignoring the nurse who ran into the room as he used the last of his waning energy to look up at his boss," Promise me… Steve You…will have some…protection…" his voice faded away as he lost his battle to stay awake.

Steve stepped back as the nurse brushed past and watched as the nurse checked her patient, his eyes never leaving his friend's now lax face as he heard the nurse ask, "What happened?"

"He woke and became agitated when I asked him a few questions about the shooting," McGarrett admitted quietly, ignoring the nurse's angry tut at his explanation. "Is he okay?"

"His pulse is rapid," The nurse murmured angrily as she lifted the thin sheet covering her patient and frowned as she saw the small splotches of red that now stained the abdominal dressings. Gently peeling the dressings away the frown deepened with concern as she quickly replaced the pad and turned, "And he has torn a couple of stitches.' she glared angrily at the lead detective. "I'm going to have to page Dr. Bergman to come and examine him."

McGarrett waited silently as guilt filtered through him. He knew Bergman was going to be angry, but he had to know if Danno had seen anything. The last thing he had expected was the near violent response from his injured detective.

Stepping back to the side of the bed he placed his hand on Danny's shoulder as the nurse hurried from the room. "I'm sorry, Danno," he whispered, squeezing the surprisingly cool flesh of the patient's shoulder, "I never meant to upset you but how can I find who ever did this to you if I am weighed down with someone giving me protection. I promise you that you are safe and that I will take care of myself. Now rest."

He heard the small ICU room door open again and turned guiltily as Bergman entered the room. The angry look on the Physician warned him that silence was probably the best option as he stepped back and watched Doc begin his examination. "Steve," Bergman muttered angrily, "You know he just had surgery. What the hell did you think you were doing?"

"I needed to know what he could remember, Doc!" Steve began to defend himself but his voice dropped as he quietly admitted, "I never expected him to react like this, I never meant to upset him. How is he?"

"He's torn a few stitches but nothing I can't repair here." Doc answered softly as he lifted the surgical dressings and studied the wounds, his heart going out to the detective who stood watching anxiously at the end of the bed. "Listen Steve, why don't you go home and get some rest. Danny's condition is stable and you're exhausted."

"I'm fine!' McGarrett snapped out too quickly before shaking his head apologetically, "I'm sorry Doc, but honest I got some sleep last night. I might just head back to the office. Please ring me if there's any change."

Bergman sighed and nodded, aware that arguing with the stubborn Irish descended cop would only cause frustration. "Okay Steve, " he answered, turning back to his patient.

McGarrett hesitated a moment as he stared at the unconscious man in the bed, silently vowing to keep him safe and find the man responsible before he turned and left the room.

The HPD officer jumped to his feet and turned as the head of the State Police exited the hospital room. "Good morning, Sir."

McGarrett was tired and worried and not in the mood to mince words. "No one, and I mean NO ONE is to go into that room who is not authorized. Do you understand?"

The intimidating man glared at the young officer. "Yes Sir, Mr. McGarrett." He stuttered as he watched the lead detective turn and storm angrily away down the corridor.

H50H50H50

Watching the doors of the elevator slide open, his hand curled in desire around the weapon hidden in his pocket as he watched the man he hated more than anyone in the world step out into the hospital lobby. A soft angry hiss escaped through his lips as the dark haired detective stalk angrily across the room and out of the hospital doors. The news reports were right –it wasn't McGarrett he had hit but his insignificant Second – In - Command - the cop named Williams.

Rising from his seat, he glanced at the closed doors of the elevator, briefly trying to decide if he should tie up loose ends upstairs or if he should follow his mortal enemy. Chewing his bottom lip, he turned and watched McGarrett cross the road outside. He had missed the traitor once; he would not miss him again! His decision made he turned and hurried towards the door.


	2. Chapter 2

McGarrett glanced into his rear vision mirror, carefully watching the cars traveling behind him. He was unable to shake off the sensation that he was being followed. Shaking his head, he chided himself for his paranoia as he turned into the Palace gates and cruised towards the Palace without the signs of a tail.

The normally ten minute drive from Queens Hospital to Iolani Palace had taken him almost thirty as he took the sightseeing route, turning down narrow streets to weave in and out of the morning peak hour traffic in an attempt to catch sight of the phantom that he believed was following him. Rocking to a stop in his usual parking spot, he glanced one more time in the mirror, searching for anything amiss before opening the door and climbing out. Locking the door, he turned and hurried up the cement stairs, uncomfortably aware of his vulnerability out in the open.

He paused as he passed through the ornate front doors and glanced back over his shoulder, again searching the parking lot and palace grounds for anyone acting suspiciously. "Get a grip, McGarrett!" he muttered angrily to himself as he turned almost in embarrassment with his sudden paranoia and jogged up the Koa internal stairs to the Five-O office.

H50H50H50

Entering the anteroom he immediately noticed the door to his office was closed, a small piece of yellow tape still stuck to the molding - an innocuous reminder of the horror that had occurred earlier. Hesitating momentarily, he took a deep breath and entered what had previously been his sanctuary. His chair had been moved from its usual spot behind the desk. The material was now torn and stained with blood. Danno's blood. He slammed his hand on the desk, causing the remnants of print dust to float into the air. Danno's innocent blood had been shed in his place and the thought sickened and angered him. He looked at the bullet holes that pockmarked the walls and the blood, now brown and dried, that had soaked into the carpet. Whoever had committed this atrocity, this violation of his world...his ohana...would not get away with it.

A sort but sharp rap at his door interrupted his thoughts and he drew a deep breath in an attempt to regain a sense of control as he turned to find Ben, Chin and Che all watching him closely. He nodded for them to enter as he moved around to the front of his desk, settling himself onto Danno's spot as the three men sat down on the chairs in front of him.

"How's Danny, Boss?" Chin asked softly, aware that McGarrett had not left their young colleague's side at all during the night.

"He's holding his own." Steve answered succinctly as the guilt of Danny's agitation washed over him. Forcing himself to push the guilt to the back of his mind, he added, "He was awake briefly this morning and I did manage to carry out a quick question and answer session with him before he become upset and Doc sedated him." A quick warning glance from Chin stopped Ben for asking the reason for his friend's agitation as McGarrett looked over their shoulders and continued. "He wasn't able to offer anything more than the gunman wore a mask and caught him by surprise. So what have we got?"

"Not much I'm afraid, Steve," the forensics expert informed the agitated head of Five-O, knowing this was not the desired answer. "There were no prints. The bullets were 9mm, all standard issue for a Uzi," Che reported, holding up a plastic evidence bag of flat, misshapen pieces of metal that used to be bullets. Che looked at the bag of metal pieces before meeting Steve's intent gaze. "These bullets are all hollow point, and you know what that means... they were meant for just one thing."

"Doing as much damage as possible...or killing." Steve acknowledged grimly. "This guy knew what he was doing." Che nodded as McGarrett turned to his two detectives, "What about anyone with grudges against Danno?"

"Everyone who made a threat or even a hint of a threat is being checked out Steve," Chin answered. "So far they all have airtight alibis – it's going to take time to find any cracks."

"I have some of the guys tracking down everyone that threatened you as well." Ben added pointedly, "Especially after Danny was hit in your office!" Ignoring his boss's heated glare the Samoan added brazenly, "and Danny did say the guy thought he was you!"

"We need to use our resources more carefully, Ben." McGarrett growled, "We are treating this as a hit on Danny until we have evidence otherwise."

Ben launched himself angrily from the chair. "God, Steve, why do you always have to be so damn stubborn? Look at that!" He stabbed his finger at one of the bullet holes that marred the wall behind the big desk. "This guy isn't messing around. You owe it the rest of us, if not yourself, and especially Danny, to have protection." He stopped and narrowed his eyes at his boss. "That's why Danny got upset, isn't it? He wanted you to have protection and you told him no. You said Doc had to sedate him." He shook his head in disgust, "You're not doing Danny any favors you know. Now instead of concentrating on getting better he's going to be worrying about you!"

Che glanced nervously at Chin before the two men returned their attention anxiously back towards their angry colleagues, aware that anything they could say would only inflame the situation.

McGarrett's gaze never wavered from the angry eyes of the tall Samoan as he answered in measured tones. "We don't know who this guy is, but we're going to find him. Until we do, we're going to guard Danno. I can take care of myself." Rising from his position on the desk, Steve continued more softly, "As for Danno, you are right Ben, Danno needs to concentrate on getting better, not worrying about the case. So until Doc says he is well enough, I think we should refrain from asking him any more questions or even mentioning our progress on the case. Is that understood?"

"Understood!" Ben growled angrily, aware that McGarrett had once again dismissed even the notion of protection. "Do you need me anymore for this meeting, Boss? I have a few snitches I want to squeeze."

McGarrett shook his head, silently dismissing his furious detective, his jaw clenching in anger as he watched Ben turn and storm from the room.

"He's worried about your safety, Boss." Chin spoke up quietly.

Turning his attention back to the two men in the chairs, Steve sighed, "I know Chin, I know."

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"He doesn't give a damn about his own safety! He's just ignoring the facts - how they hell are we supposed to protect him if he refuses to listen." Ben muttered as he stomped down the internal stairs and out of the palace. "I don't know how Danny handles him – he's just so God damn stubborn." He growled as he ran down the stairs and across to the company sedan. "Doesn't he know that his refusing protection is not going to help Danny any? He didn't see the panic in Danny's eyes last night, when Danny was more concerned about him than his own injuries!" He hissed as he climbed into the car and slammed the door closed.

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Sliding down in his seat, he grinned as he watched the Samoan detective emerge from the building and stalk angrily to the car next to his car, without even glancing in his direction. "Looks like there is possible dissension in the ranks!" he giggled as he turned his attention back to the front entrance as the detective's car sped out of the palace grounds. From his advantage point, he could see the comings and goings of everyone at the Palace. Considering that McGarrett had spent all night at the hospital, it would only stand to reason that he would soon be going back, so the wait shouldn't be too long and when the great McGarrett came out again, he was going to be ready.


	3. Chapter 3

After flipping the greyish looking, round slab of ground beef on the grill, Nick Monona wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm as he turned back towards the Samoan Five-O detective sitting at the bar watching him. He wiped his greasy hands on his shirt before removing the cigarette that dangled from the corner of his mouth. Flicking the ash onto the floor, he glanced towards the two men at the end of the counter, reassuring himself that they were more interested in devouring their food than eavesdropping into any whispered conversations between himself and the Five-O detective. "I heard about what happened to Williams. Too bad, he was an okay guy for a cop," he murmured softly before pulling a dirty looking rag out of his back pocket. He began to wipe the counter, covertly glancing again at the two men before returning his attention back towards Ben. "But I don't know who done it, Ben. I mean, who wouldn't want to see McGarrett eat a bullet. It ain't like McGarrett would ever win any popularity contests, or anything."

"Come on, Nick, you must have heard something. I know you keep your ear close to the coconut wireless." Ben demanded quietly, as he added another ten dollar bill to the other four ten dollar bills he had placed on the counter between them. "With a hit this big, someone must be talking…"

"I swear Ben, nobody knows nothin'." Nick answered as he licked his lips and stared greedily at the money before he turned back to the grill and removed the piece of meat, slapping it onto the buttered bun. He quickly added the rest of the makings of the burger. Placing the sad looking burger onto a plate, he then placed it in front of the detective before he spoke again. "Plenty of talk about what happen Bruddah, but no-one's admittin' nothin'. And there ain't no contract been put out on Williams or McGarrett that I know of."

The Samoan detective sighed as he pushed the money across the counter to the other man. "If you hear anything…"

"Yeah, yeah, bruddah, I will let you know!" Nick nodded his head as he quickly snatched up the money and stuffed it into his pocket before he nodded towards the untouched burger in front of Ben. "You gunna eat that?" he asked as Ben stood up to leave.

"You can eat it." Ben answered as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"And give myself food poisonin'? No way!" Nick laughed at the detective's retreating back as he picked up the plate and emptied its contents into the closest trashcan.

H5OH5OH5O

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Ben pulled his notebook from his pocket. Opening it up, he placed a small cross next to Nick's name before he glanced at the next name on the list. He still had at least four more snitches to talk to as he snapped the notebook closed and returned it back to his coat pocket. So far the morning had proven totally frustrating and completely fruitless, with each of his snitches denying knowing anything about the attempted hit. Glancing at his watch, he wondered if he would have time to visit Danny after he had spoken to the last four snitches.

H5OH5OH5O

Grabbing the next file from the large stack that sat on Danny's desk beside him, McGarrett flipped it open and quickly glanced through it, before he walked over to the large white board, he had set up in the small cubicle, and added another name to the growing list and the alibi that had given when interviewed by HPD. He paused a moment, as he studied the name he had just added before he added a small star beside the name for Chin or Ben to re-interview later. He stepped back and stared at the long list of names and shook his head in frustration, the list was growing longer and without being able to interview Danny about what had happened last night, they had very little evidence. He felt the guilt rise in his chest as his remembered the gentle questioning session he had tried with Danny earlier. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard Jenny softly call, "Boss, the Governor is on the phone. He wants a full update on Danny's shooting. Stuart and he are waiting for you in his office."

Glancing across at his petite secretary, who held her hand across the mouthpiece of her phone, he nodded. "Tell him I'm on my way."

Stepping out of Danny's small cubicle, he tapped on Chin's adjoining cubical glass wall as he hurried past. "Chin, if you need me, I will be with the Governor."

"Do you want me to come with you, Boss?" Chin asked, as he rose from his seat and began to follow Steve from the office.

Steve waved him back, pausing and turning back as he reached the door. "I'll be fine Chin, I don't need a bodyguard." He tried to reassure his skeptical detective before he turned and rushed out of the door and down the Koa staircase. Dodging past the large group of tourists in the foyer, he stepped through the ornate front doors and out into the warm sunshine. He paused for a moment and glanced around, searching for any potential threats, before he descended the cement stairs and crossed to his car.

Opening the door, he slid inside and placed his key into the ignition. Before he could start the car, he felt the chilling, unmistakable sensation of a gun barrel being pressed against the back of his neck as a voice behind him ordered coldly, "Drive!"


End file.
